Many businesses have adopted the concept of workflows to automate business processes. A workflow generally refers to a software component that is capable of performing a specific set of tasks. These tasks, which can include work items or other workflows, are typically connected in a way that allows the tasks to be ordered upon the completion. In a workflow, information such as files, documents, or tasks are passed between system resources according to a set of procedural rules so that the system can act upon the information.
In order to incorporate and develop workflows, several companies have developed a workflow language (WFL). Many workflow languages are simple, with each component in the WFL having one input and at least one output. The input can accept a token that triggers the component to perform the appropriate task. After completing the task, the component can generate a token that contains the result of the task. This token can be passed to any other component needing to execute a task utilizing that result.
While many of these workflow languages and workflow management systems are currently being used, each typically utilizes some amount of proprietary information. The existing workflow languages attempt to be complete programming languages, and consequently the developers end up reinventing a lot of things that popular programming languages already do. Further, it is necessary for developers to take on the time and expense to learn these new programming languages.